Sport

NFF to Ban Use of Stadia for Non-sporting Activities Nationwide

Published

8 years ago

March 10, 2016

An NFF official, Chidi Offor-Okenwa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Wednesday that the action had become necessary to cut down the cost of maintaining the stadia.

Offor-Okenwa, who is also the Chairman of Enugu State Football Association, said that the federation had succeeded in stopping the state government, political parties and other interest groups from using the stadium.

“The good people of Enugu State and of course, the government of Enugu State appreciates the fact that stadia in Enugu State are purely for sporting activities.

“We (presently) don’t have a record of hosting religious activities at the main bowl of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.

“In Enugu here, the stadium is actually meant for football; it is meant for athletes, it is meant for indoor games and we appropriately put the facilities in use in that vein.

“So also for Rangers (International FC, Enugu) camp and of course the UNEC (University of Nigeria Enugu Campus) stadium.

“We ensure that we don’t conduct any religious activity; any unsporting activity in our facilities.

“And we take that message to all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to ensure that the (sporting) facilities last and serve the purpose (for) which it was built with the tax payers money.’’

He said that the federation had warned stadium managers against “unsporting and extraneous activities’’and its implications on the development of sports.

NAN reports that non-sporting activities such as religious, political and social gathering had led to the deterioration of most sports facilities, especially stadia in the country.

NAN

Foreign

Roman Abramovich, Hands Over Club To Charity Amid Fears Of Sanctions Over Ukraine’s Invasion By Russia

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2022

lagoslately

Abramovich has been the owner of Chelsea since 2003 and since his arrival has seen a transformation in the fortunes of the club.

In a statement on its website, he said, “During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities.

“I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s Charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.

“I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans.”

Abramovich has been the owner of Chelsea since 2003 and since his arrival has seen a transformation in the fortunes of the club.

The trustees of the Chelsea Foundation are Bruce Buck, John Devine, Emma Hayes, Piara Powar, Seb Coe and Hugh Roberston.

News

Nigeria vs Cape Verde: NFF Admits Error, Says FIFA Right On Ahmed Musa’s Record

Published

2 years ago

September 8, 2021

lagoslately

The Nigeria Football Federation has admitted error in its earlier counting of Super Eagles’ captain Ahmed Musa’s record.

The Federation said FIFA was right in its counting, in a statement titled, ‘NFF defers to FIFA on Ahmed Musa’s record’.

While NFF earlier said Musa had made 100 appearances for the Eagles, FIFA said he had 98 caps for the national team after featuring in Nigeria vs Cape Verde 2022 World Cup qualifier.

NFF in a statement on Wednesday said it deferred to FIFA’s record of 98 caps for Super Eagles’ captain Ahmed Musa, after the nullification of two of the matches he played.

“We defer to FIFA in this regard, so Ahmed Musa has 98 caps. If he features, as expected, in the home-and-away matches against Central African Republic in October, he will clock the tally of 100 and the celebrations will follow in full flow,” NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, said on Wednesday.

FIFA said on Tuesday that Musa’s appearances in the 3-0 defeat of Togo in a friendly match in Paris in June 2017 and the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifier against Algeria in Constantine in November 2017 did not count.

The match against Togo was struck off as both Nigeria and Togo made more than the regular number of changes in the game, while the encounter in Constantine, which ended 1-1, was deleted because Nigeria fielded an ineligible player and the result was overturned, with Algeria awarded the game, even as Nigeria had already picked the World Cup ticket before the tie.

News

Chidi Offor-Okenwa, Enugu FA chairman, Is Dead .

Published

4 years ago

May 6, 2020

lagoslately

Chidi Offor-Okenwa, the chairman of the Enugu State Football Association, has died after a battle with Leukemia. He was 50.
Mr. Okenwa, who was also a Member of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation and Chairman of the Nigeria National League died on Tuesday morning, May 5, 2020.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Okenwa had been diagnosed as having leukemia, and was said to have been restless throughout the night before he slumped in the early hours. He was rushed to a private hospital in Enugu, where he was confirmed dead.